Theodore Roosevelt Center
Dickinson State University students are invited to take advantage of the opportunities for research and internships afforded by the Theodore Roosevelt Center. The TRC was established at Dickinson State University to study and analyze the life and legacy of the 26th president of the United States, for whom the North Dakota badlands was a second home. His papers are scattered in discrete collections at the Library of Congress, Harvard University, and elsewhere. In partnership with these organizations, and the soon-to-be Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library (TRPL), the TR Center has undertaken to create a comprehensive digital library presenting Roosevelt’s letters, diaries, presidential papers, photographs, and ephemera. In 2024, Dickinson State received, through the TRPL, the Edmund Morris papers, which examined the life of TR and resulted in the series of books by the author. Through the digital library of primary source materials, a physical research library of books by and about Roosevelt, and through symposia, exhibits, and publications, the Center investigates and interprets, Roosevelt’s contributions to American life.
The Center cooperates with the Theodore Roosevelt Honors Leadership Program in providing students with research and internship opportunities. The Center also offers public exhibits and programs, including an annual symposium on a theme from Roosevelt’s life, bringing nationally acclaimed scholars in history and the humanities to Dickinson State University. In collaboration with organizations in the region, including Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation, the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation, the State Historical Society of North Dakota, and the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame, the Center works to enrich the cultural experience for both residents and visitors to the area, deepening the understanding of the significance of Roosevelt’s time in the Dakota badlands.